South Carolina

Thursday First Round Predictions: ACC, Big Ten, SEC

Greg Mengelt — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:02:51 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking (just about) every conference tournament game over the next week, including tonight's three key championship games. Games listed in order with later rounds on top and earlier rounds at the bottom. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

ACC FIRST ROUND: AT ATLANTA

(8) Maryland (16-14, 6-10) vs. (9) Wake Forest (13-17, 4-12)

Tipoff: Noon. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – Maryland 70-64. RPI: Maryland 111, Wake Forest 169. Analysis: The ACC Tourney starts with an upset. Line: Maryland -3½. Pick: Wake Forest 60, Maryland 55.

(5) North Carolina State (20-11, 9-7) vs. (12) Boston College (9-21, 4-12)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 19 – N.C. State 76-62; Feb. 1 – N.C. State 56-51. RPI: N.C. State 52, BC 236. Analysis: The Wolfpack will pull away early for an easy win. Line: N.C. State -12. Pick: North Carolina State 73, Boston College 52.

(7) Clemson (16-14, 8-8) vs. (10) Virginia Tech (15-16, 4-12)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 4 – Virginia Tech 67-65; March 1 – Clemson 58-56. RPI: Clemson 138, Virginia Tech 119. Analysis: Remember when being .500 in the ACC meant a lock for the NCAA Tourney? Line: Clemson -2½. Pick: Clemson 64, Virginia Tech 62.

(6) Miami (18-11, 9-7) vs. (11) Georgia Tech (11-19, 4-12)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 24 – Miami 64-49*. RPI: Miami 50, Georgia Tech 183. Analysis: Strange line. Makes me think Vegas knows something the rest of us don’t. Oh, well. The Hurricanes are significantly better. Line: Miami -4. Pick: Miami 67, Georgia Tech 57.

BIG TEN FIRST ROUND: AT INDIANAPOLIS

(8) Iowa (16-15, 8-10) vs. (9) Illinois (17-14, 6-12)

Tipoff: 11:30 a.m. TV: Big Ten Network. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 26 – Illinois 65-54. RPI: Iowa 131, Illinois 77. Analysis: Not sure the Illinois players are interested in playing another game. Line: Illinois -2½. Pick: Iowa 60, Illinois 55.

(5) Indiana (24-7, 11-7) vs. (12) Penn State (12-19, 4-14)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: Big Ten Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 8 – Indiana 88-82*; Jan. 22 – Indiana 73-54. RPI: Indiana 11, Penn State 156. Analysis: The Hoosiers are playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten – if not the nation. Line: Indiana -11½. Pick: Indiana 81, Penn State 67.

(7) Northwestern (18-12, 8-10) vs. (10) Minnesota (18-13, 6-12)

Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 22 – Minnesota 75-52; Feb. 18 – Northwestern 64-53. RPI: Northwestern 41, Minnesota 89. Analysis: John Shurna and Drew Crawford will not let the Wildcats lose this game. Line: Northwestern -2½. Pick: Northwestern 68, Minnesota 62.

(6) Purdue (20-11, 10-8) vs. (11) Nebraska (12-17, 4-14)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 22 – Purdue 83-65. RPI: Purdue 41, Nebraska 140. Analysis: Purdue has won 3-of-4 and even in the loss at Indiana, the Boilermakers played pretty well for most of the game. Line: Purdue -8. Pick: Purdue 79, Nebraska 64.

SEC FIRST ROUND: AT NEW ORLEANS

(8) LSU (17-13, 7-9) vs. (9) Arkansas (18-13, 6-10)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Arkansas 69-60; Feb. 4 – LSU 71-65. RPI: LSU 84, Arkansas 92. Analysis: A strange season comes to an Arkansas. Things should start to improve next season under Mike Anderson. Line: LSU -1. Pick: LSU 73, Arkansas 68.

(5) Alabama (20-10, 9-7) vs. (12) South Carolina (10-20, 2-14)

Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 25 – South Carolina 56-54. RPI: Alabama 32, USC 185. Analysis: This game could just go a lot of different ways, depending on how interested the Tide are, but eight points is too big of a line for what should be a low-scoring game. Line: Alabama -8. Pick: Alabama 58, South Carolina 52.

(7) Mississippi (18-12, 8-8) vs. (10) Auburn (15-15, 5-11)

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Auburn 69-68 (2OT); Feb. 11 – Ole Miss 61-54. RPI: Ole Miss 51, Auburn 136. Analysis: The Rebels are back on the bubble after three straight wins, but Auburn will end the dream. Line: Ole Miss -2½. Pick: Auburn 66, Mississippi 63.

(6) Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8) vs. (11) Georgia (14-16, 5-11)

Tipoff: 10 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 11 – Georgia 70-68 (OT)*. RPI: MSU 64, Georgia 107. Analysis: Both teams are so unpredictable that it’s hard to tell how this one’s going to go. The Bulldogs are physically superior, though. Line: MSU -5. Pick: Mississippi State 71, Georgia 65.

*Road win

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 143-108-3

#2 Ohio State at South Carolina: Preview & Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:27:47 -0800

NO. 2 OHIO STATE (9-1) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (4-5)

Time/TV: Noon, ESPN

Line: Ohio State -14.5.

Storylines: After a loss at Kansas on Saturday, Jared Sullinger returned Wednesday and the Buckeyes looked like themselves in an 82-58 win over South Carolina-Upstate. South Carolina has been awful this season without Bruce Ellington, who opted to return kicks and catch passes for the Gamecocks this fall.

Key Matchup: Ohio State’s defense vs. South Carolina’s offense. The Gamecocks are shooting woefully (42 percent from the field, 30 from the 3-point line) and they haven’t seen a defense like they will Saturday. The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 41 percent shooting and 34 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Bottom Line: This is a mismatch in every area of the game, particularly if Sullinger’s back spasms have subsided. Even on the road, Ohio State will have a double-figure lead early.

The Pick: Ohio State 74, South Carolina 47.

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Krzyzewski Gets 903rd Victory

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:08:13 -0800

After wins over Belmont and Presbyterian moved Mike Krzyzewski into a tie with Bob Knight for the most wins in college basketball history, many at Madison Square Garden were hoping that the Duke head coach would become the record-holder with a win over Michigan State on Tuesday night. But while some went as far as to almost assume the game to be a coronation of sorts, Tom Izzo's Spartans refused to back down. Michigan State, never a team to back down from a challenge, went toe to toe with Duke in the first half, outscoring the Blue Devils in the paint 16-4 and scoing 15 points off of eight Duke turnovers.

But the first half was ultimately about missed opportunities for Michigan State, who despite those numbers went into the locker room trailing 34-33. Why? Two big reasons: eleven turnovers, and a combined 23 points scored by Duke guards Andre Dawkins (14) and Seth Curry (9). And in hindsight all Michigan State did was delay the inevitable, as Dawkins, Curry and Ryan Kelly kept it going in the second half and helping push the Duke lead out to as high as 20 points with just over nine minutes left in the game. Michigan State refused to fold but it was too little too late in Duke's 74-69 win.

"I thought we were, I don't know, tight or tentative the whole first half," said Krzyzewski of his team's play. "I don't know if the moment was so big or we tried to downplay the moment but then obviously, you all being here, and it's in the Garden and it becomes a big thing."

Michigan State attempted 20 more field goals than Duke on the night, but the Blue Devils more than made up for that at the charity stripe as well as beyond the arc. Duke made 30 of 41 free throws while Michigan State was just 13 of 18, with the Spartans committing eight more fouls (29-21). Duke also outscored Michigan State 30-12 from three, and when the Blue Devils are able to reach such an edge it's nearly impossible to beat them.

Keith Appling bounced back from his performance against North Carolina to lead the way with 22 points and Brandon Wood added 15, but an off night from senior Draymond Green was a major factor as well. Green made just four of fifteen shots from the field, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and five turnovers. Kelly defensively was a big key for Duke in controlling Green, a happening that you'd be hard-pressed to expect from the junior in either of his prior two seasons in Durham.

"I thought Ryan Kelly did a good job on Green," remarked Krzyzewski. "I think Green is a heck of a player and went 4-15 and had four turnovers and two assists. I thought Ryan was really good in that second half."

Michigan State dominated the glass on Friday in their loss to North Carolina, but they could do no more than out-rebound Duke by one (32-31) on this night. Dawkins was superb for Duke, finishing with a game-high 26 points while Curry added 20 and Kelly 14, and this trio combined to score 16 points in a 17-4 Duke run early in the second half to take control of the game. The Plumlee brothers may have been quiet and Austin Rivers may have made just one of seven shots, but the veteran trio more than made up for those struggles.

The days in leading up to Duke's next game (Davidson) will likely be spent talking about what this record means and what Krzyzewski means to the sport, and there should be little doubt that a "Mount Rushmore" for college basketball would include the West Point grad along with his college coach. But just as important, if not moreso, is the play of Dawkins and Curry on such a stage.

For all the talk about the newcomers in the backcourt, it's pretty obvious that the experienced members will be just as important (if not more) as the Blue Devils embark on life without Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Tuesday night provided an impressive message as to their willingness to be the players Duke looks to for big plays. As for Michigan State, they'll grow from this and be a good basketball team as the season wears on. Appling isn't a true point guard right now and freshman Travis Trice is still learning the ropes. These two games offer great lessons to Izzo's team, and they'll be that much better for it.

"We are going to grow from these two games," said Izzo. "A lot people think we are insane but, we are going to get better from it. We played two very good teams and we are competing more and more. Everybody playing together, I think we are going to get better as a team."

Other Notable Happenings

1. UCLA hit a new low in an 86-66 pasting suffered at the hands of Middle Tennessee.
Well, using the logic that since Middle Tennessee beat a Loyola Marymount team that beat UCLA it wasn't a stretch to expect the Blue Raiders to give the Bruins a good run at the L.A. Sports Arena. Well Kermit Davis' team didn't just give UCLA a run for their money...they ran them out of the arena. Middle Tennessee shredded the UCLA defense with an array of backdoor cuts and drive and kicks for open threes while also thoroughly confusing the Bruins by using multiple defenses on their way to an emphatic 20-point win. Middle Tennessee shot a staggering 71% from the field and 91% from three (making their first nine before finally missing one late) with LaRon Dendy leading five players in double figures with 16 points (and 13 rebounds). If Middle Tennessee can build on this performance keep an eye on them in the Sun Belt.

As for UCLA, where do you start? Defense has been one of the core principles for Ben Howland's program during his time in Westwood, but it was nowhere to be found on Tuesday. Frankly UCLA looked to be unprepared to deal with what Middle Tennessee was throwing at them, and they were getting out-hustled to boot. Of course not having Reeves Nelson (suspension) or Anthony Stover (injury) didn't help matters, but that's no excuse for this kind of loss. And for a team that according to some has the best frontcourt in the Pac-12, why would the Bruins shoot 20 three-pointers (making four)? Joshua Smith led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, but the fact that UCLA has attempted 35 three-pointers in two games (making six) is exactly why they're 0-2. There's no sugar-coating this: UCLA had better figure things out in a hurry with the Maui Invitational on the horizon.

2. Kentucky uses a strong second half to beat Kansas, and they're only going to get better.
Just like Michigan State in the first game of the Champions Classic, Kansas had every opportunity to go into the locker room with a nice advantage on a team that played a poor first half. And just like the Spartans the Jayhawks allowed that opportunity to slip away, tied at 28 with Kentucky at the break. And sure enough John Calipari's young, talented squad made Kansas pay in the second half, going on an 11-0 run and pushing their lead up to as many as 17 points by the 10-minute mark. Kansas would fight back but they didn't have enough horses as Kentucky put the finishing touches on 75-65 win. Doron Lamb led five Wildcats in double figures with 17 points but the talk of the night (especially in the second half) was freshman Anthony Davis, who finished wih 14 points, seven blocks and six rebounds.

The Chicago native's wingspan and skill set are impressive enough to take over games, and he was part of the defensive effort that made things very tough on Kansas forward Thomas Robinson. Robinson rarely got a chance to go one on one in the post, posting a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) but making five of twelve shots. Kentucky had its moment of lackadaisical play, turning the ball over 19 times (Marquis Teague had six and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist five), but when they needed to turn it on in the second half they did. Just imagine this young group consistently playing at a high level. That's a scary thought for much of their remaining schedule.

3. Ohio State beats Florida in Columbus, but that doesn't mean that Florida can't take positives out of the game.
Ohio State was able to rebound from Florida scoring eight of the first ten points of the game behind 21 points from William Buford, beating the Gators 81-74 in front of a packed house at Value City Arena. Ohio State led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Florida fought back and eventually cut the deficit to five in the final minute as they refused to give in. There are other positives that Billy Donovan's team can take out of the defeat as well, beginning with the play of sophomore forward Patric Young. Young scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Gators to a 38-29 edge on the glass despite the presence of Jared Sullinger.

Florida also held a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points, but theses numbers weren't enough to overcome 16 turnovers. Bradley Beal, who led the way with 17 points, turned the ball over five times while fellow guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton finished with three apiece. Florida was outscored by 14 points at the foul line but they knocked down 11 of 22 from beyond the arc, and the 14 points scored by Erik Murphy is another encouraging sign. Florida's backcourt prowess is well-known at the early point in the season, but getting 28 points from their starting frontcourt against a Top 5 opponent is something that they should be able to build on.

Quick Hitters

1. While Florida and Kentucky split their games against ranked opponents, neither LSU nor South Carolina did the SEC any favors on the road. LSU visited defending regular season Big South champ Coastal Carolina and left with a 71-63 loss as they were out-rebounded 51-32. Sam McLaurin led the Chanticleers with 16 rebounds. The Gamecocks on the other hand shot 3-for-27 from three in losing 58-53 at Elon. The teams in the bottom half of the SEC are going to need to step up if the conference is to boost its national reputation.

2. There were two impressive road victories in the morning hours of the College Basketball Tipoff Marathon: Drexel pulling away in the second half to whip Rider 80-62 and Kent State winning 70-60 at West Virginia. The Dragons, expected to at the very least contend in the CAA, received 21 points apiece from Samme Givens and Frantz Massenat. Kent State outscored WVU 42-27 in the second half and held the Mountaineers to 36.8% shooting for the game.

3. There are few players hotter than Texas guard J'Covan Brown. Brown scored 35 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and no turnovers in the Longhorns' 100-90 win over Rhode Island. Brown's averaging 28.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game on the season with just one turnover through two games.

4. How impressive was Memphis in their 97-81 win over Belmont? Will Barton led three starters with 20 or more points with 23 while Joe Jackson accounted for 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds with just two turnovers. Memphis shot 58.6% from the field while their length and athleticism limited the Bruins to 38.8% shooting.

5. Damian Lillard made just four of sixteen shots in scoring 17 points, but that was OK as Scott Bamforth dropped 28 to lead Weber State to a 73-63 win over Utah State in Ogden. The preseason favorites to win the Big Sky made 12 of 23 shots from beyond the arc and forced 15 Aggie turnovers. Weber State visits BYU on December 7th.

Four Notable Performances

1. G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
35 points, six rebounds, six assists and no turnovers in the Longhorns' 100-90 win over Rhode Island.

2. G Dorenzo Hudson and F Dorian Finney-Smith (Virginia Tech)
Hudson finished with 31 points and five rebounds while Finney-Smith added 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Hokies' 78-63 win over FIU.

3. F Josh Davis (Tulane)
Davis spearheaded the Green Wave's 96-50 beating of Nicholls State with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

4. G/F James Nunnally and G/F Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
Nunnally scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds while Johnson scored 24 to go along with eight rebounds and three assists in the Gauchos' 89-56 win over Santa Clara.

SEC Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:54:28 -0800

As part of our 5-Year Ranking series, here's how the SEC teams stack up according to conference wins. Unlike most leagues, there hasn't been one dominant team over the last handful of years. Florida and Kentucky have had some great years, but also some very mediocre ones mixed in. At the bottom of the league, LSU and South Carolina are close to forming a bottom rung of their own.

First Tier

1 - Kentucky - 53 wins - Freshman U will battle with Florida for the league title

2 - Tennessee - 53 - The Vols seems destined to fall out of the lead pack, but Martin was a good hire

3 - Florida - 52 - Only a few years removed from their national championship era

Second Tier

4 - Vanderbilt - 49 - Haven't won a tourney game since 2007. Will they live up to this year's hype?

5 - Mississippi St - 47 - Have held steady at 9-7 over the last 3 seasons

Wannabees

6 - Ole Miss - 38 - Rebels basketball exemplifies mediocrity. Never awful, never good

7 - Alabama - 37 - Have been competitive in league play, but no tourney trips in this period

Also-Rans

8 - Arkansas - 32 - With a good recruiting class and a new coach, Hogs are back on track

9 - Auburn - 31 - Auburn still seems no closer to breaking out of this bottom pack

10 - South Carolina - 30 - These are bleak years for the Gamecocks, and it might get worse

11 - Georgia - 29 - After last year's tourney bid, its clear Georgia is on the move

12 - LSU - 29 - The tournament trip in 2009 seems like a distant memory at this point

All 5-Year Rankings.

#144 South Carolina: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:52:40 -0700

Overall Rank: #144

Conference Rank: #10 Southeastern Conference

2009-10: 15-16, 6-10

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Darrin Horn (36-26 at South Carolina, 147-74 overall)

Considering three-year starter Dominique Archie went down with an injury after playing in just five games and fellow starter Mike Holmes played in only six contests, South Carolina and Coach Darrin Horn did an admirable job during the 2009-2010 campaign. The absence of Archie and Holmes forced a lot of young players into action and that will start paying off immediately.

Key Losses: F Dominique Archie, G Devan Downey, F Mike Holmes, G Brandis Raley-Ross

Key Newcomers:

The youth movement is in full swing with a superb recruiting class led by point guard Bruce Ellington and power forward Damontre Harris. Ellington, a 5-10 speedster, could step into the starting role right away and, at the least, will be asked to provide some depth in the backcourt. Fellow incoming freshmen Brian Richardson and Eric Smith could battle for minutes as well. Another key addition to the Gamecocks is Malik Cooke, a transfer from Nevada. The 6-6 forward will immediately bring experience and athleticism to the wing. The newcomers in the frontcourt are equally impressive. Harris will be a star sooner or later and R.J. Slawson was a nice late pickup. Add the size of 6-10 Carlton Geathers to the mix and the future looks very bright.

Backcourt:

The problem is there is not a lot of experience returning in the backcourt. Losing Devan Downey is huge and nobody will fill his 22.5 points per game. If Ellington is not ready to take over the point guard duties, the only other option is Ramon Galloway. The 6-1 sophomore started a half dozen games last season, but he was mostly used as a shooter off the bench. If Ellington is not ready to run the show, Galloway will have to grow up quickly and try and step into that role. Ideally, Ellington will start at the point guard spot sooner rather than later and Galloway can stretch out the defense and provide South Carolina with an outside shooting threat. Stephen Spinella is the only other perimeter player with any experience and he averaged less than ten minutes per game last year and will have to fight for playing time with the newcomers.

Frontcourt:

Harris has the athleticism to start as a freshman, but South Carolina probably will not need him to do so unless they want to put a bigger lineup on the floor, which may often be the case against most Southeastern Conference opponents. The big man on the team is Sam Muldrow. The 6-9 senior has always been a tenacious rebounder and shot blocker, but has also turned into a solid interior scoring threat. With the new found athleticism around him, Muldrow should be in for a big year. Lakeem Jackson started nearly every game last year and should once again this time around. Although he was just a freshman, Jackson was the glue guy who did the dirty work on the glass.

Who to Watch:

Ellington is going to have to take over this team if South Carolina expects to reach the postseason. It is asking a lot for a freshman to not only run the team, but try to replace such a great player like Downey. If Coach Horn had to choose somebody, Ellington would be high on his list anyway. He has enough speed and quickness to make things happen and suddenly the Gamecocks can get up and down the floor. Not only do they have the point guard to do it, but they have the athleticism and the depth to run as well.

Final Projection:

Turnovers will likely be a problem if Coach Horn wants to take advantage of his new found athleticism and depth. That is what happens when you have a young backcourt and a frontcourt that is mostly full of athletes. South Carolina should be a better team than they were last year but it remains to be seen how big of a stride they can make with a squad mostly full of underclassmen. The present should be better, but the future is what has South Carolina fans excited.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Bruce Ellington, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Ramon Galloway, Sophomore, Guard, 7.8 ppg

Lakeem Jackson, Sophomore, Forward, 7.2 ppg

Malik Cooke, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Sam Muldrow, Senior, Forward, 10.4 ppg

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the SEC Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:22:43 -0800

SEC News & Notes: Blocks Record, POY, More

Jason Brubaker — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:21:03 -0800

Some SEC News & Notes, as I am trapped inside with around 18 inches of snow on the ground here in Cincinnati. (Yes, I realize other areas of the country have much more than that, but this gives me an excuse to be lazy and stay in front of the television watching college basketball). So without further ado, here's what's happening around the league.

•    Wayne Chism has never been the most popular player amongst opposing fans in the SEC, but even the most ardent Tennessee opponent has to admire his play this year. Since the dismissal of forward Tyler Smith, Chism has averaged 15 points and a little over eight rebounds per game, and has piled up three-double-doubles in that time, including a monster 26-point, 12-rebound effort in a win over Ole Miss. He’s also taken on more of a leadership role, playing through numerous injuries to help the Vols stay on track for the NCAA Tournament.. His inside/outside game causes mismatches for opponents, and he's even played his way onto the NBA radar as a possible second-round pick. If the Vols make any noise this postseason, it's a certainty Chism will lead the way.

•    LSU has been awful this year (0-11 in the SEC), but the play of Tasmin Mitchell shouldn't be overlooked. Mitchell is averaging 17 points and just a shade under 10 boards per game, and should surpass 2,000 career points by the end of the season. He's seen it all during his LSU career, visiting the Final Four as a freshman, suffering a season-ending injury as a junior, and now struggling to lead an undermanned team as a senior. However, his effort has always been terrific, and by all accounts, he's a terrific leader on and off the floor. I'm sure he envisioned a better senior season than this, but regardless, he deserves recognition for a great overall career.

•    The SEC Weekly Awards have been finding their way to Lexington quite a bit this year. Through the first 14 weeks, Kentucky has claimed 12 awards, including ten Freshmen of the Week awards and two Player of the Week awards. John Wall alone has five FOW awards, and his sixth could be on the way after a near triple double against Mississippi State. The next best school? Vanderbilt, with four awards, including two FOW awards for guard John Jenkins.

•    How different would Arkansas' record be if they had Courtney Fortson all season? Fortson was suspended the first 14 games of the season, as the Hogs went just 7-7. Since his return, he's averaged 19 points, five rebounds and six assists, and the Hogs have climbed to first in the jumbled SEC West. Fortson's energy and scoring ability has pumped life in Arkansas, and they're going to be a tough out in the SEC Tournament.

•    His team is just 14-11, and he's likely to go undrafted in the upcoming draft. He doesn't have the exposure of players like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, and, if he wasn't in uniform, he might be mistaken for a team manager. Yet South Carolina's diminutive superstar, Devan Downey, has firmly planted himself in the SEC Player of the Year argument. In conference games, Downey is averaging a shade under 29 points per game, despite being the focal point of every opposing defense. Downey's detractors will point out that his numbers have been inflated because he has taken more than twice as many shots as anyone else on his team, which is currently fifth in the SEC East. However, what he's done this year is nothing short of remarkable for an undermanned team that needs him to score - and score big - to have a chance to win. The Gamecocks' record may prevent him from taking home the award, but I'd have a hard time arguing against him.

•    With five regular season games left, as well as at least a couple of postseason games, it's almost a certainty that Jarvis Varnado will end his career with more blocked shots than anyone in Division I history. The long-armed Mississippi State senior is only 14 blocks shy of tying Louisiana Monroe's Wojciech Mydra, who holds the record with 535 blocks. After Tuesday's loss to Kentucky, Varnado is averaging 4.9 blocks per game, meaning he should be in striking distance of the record during the Bulldogs' Feb. 27 match-up with South Carolina. Of course, he also has 24 career games with seven or more blocks, so he could get there even sooner. It's not every day that an NCAA career record falls, and Varnado should be congratulated on his efforts when he gets there.

•    And finally, to the Mississippi State fans who threw objects on the floor following the heart-breaking loss to Kentucky...grow up. Emotion and passion are what makes college sports great, and we've all been frustrated as fans when things don't go our team's way, but there's no excuse for what happened on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs were undermanned and outclassed in talent, yet played their tails off the entire game and nearly pulled off an incredible upset. But instead of their team being congratulated for their effort, it's the fan base that is getting the headlines, and for all the wrong reasons. I realize that it only takes a few fans to make an entire stadium or arena look bad, but this unfortunately gives a black eye to the entire university. Let's hope this is something we don't see again.

SEC Tournament Watch: Who Will Be Dancing?

Jason Brubaker — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:19:56 -0800

Valentine’s Day for many people involves an intimate dinner, flowers, perhaps some candy, maybe even a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride through the snow. But for college basketball fans – it means that teams have one month left to earn their dance cards. One more month of proving their worth against conference opponents, trying to build momentum as they enter March.

With the conference season halfway done, the SEC is in decidedly better shape than last year, when Cupid arrived and saw a mess of bubble teams that had no shot of reaching the second weekend. This year, as many as six teams could find themselves dancing, although as always, there’s still a lot that can happen.

Here’s the breakdown right now.

Tournament Locks:

Kentucky: 23-1 (8-1 SEC)

RPI: 6

Strength of Schedule: 51

Key wins: Vanderbilt, at Florida, Mississippi

Bad losses: None

Big games remaining: Tennessee, at Mississippi State at Vanderbilt, at Tennessee

The Cats have hovered in the top five all year, and should be in contention for a top seed come March. Despite some inconsistent efforts and youthful mistakes, they’ve simply been able to overwhelm people with their talent all year. Their non-conference schedule doesn’t look great, especially with North Carolina, Louisville and UConn struggling, but if they continue to win like they have, it won’t matter. With three tough road games left, it’s not unconceivable that the Cats could stumble once more, but barring a major surprise, they should be quite pleased on Selection Sunday.

Tennessee: 18-5. (6-3 SEC)

RPI: 19

Strength of Schedule: 38

Key wins: Kansas, Mississippi

Bad losses: at USC, at Georgia

Big games remaining: at Kentucky, at Florida, Kentucky, at Mississippi State

The Vols have responded better than many thought after the dismissal of star Tyler Smith, but they still have work to do to improve their seed. Since losing Smith, the Vols have knocked off Kansas, but also have dropped a pair of games to Vandy, and struggled to win against Florida and LSU. They still have a pair of games left with Kentucky, and winning one of those would be huge for their resume. Right now, the Vols look to be around a 5-seed, but they could go a couple spots in either direction depending on how strong they finish the season.

Vanderbilt: 18-5 (7-2 SEC)

RPI: 18

Strength of Schedule: 24

Key wins: Tennessee (2), Florida, Missouri

Bad losses: Western Kentucky, at Georgia

Big games remaining: at Mississippi, Kentucky, at Florida

The Commodores are a team to keep an eye on in March. They have veteran leadership, a balanced attack, and are playing well as of late, having won nine of 11 since the calendar flipped to 2010. If they’re able to score an upset of Kentucky in a huge home game on Feb. 20, they could find themselves as high as a three-seed in the NCAA. Right now, they’re probably in 5-seed range along with Tennessee, but they’re certainly capable of climbing higher. Look for Vandy to be a tough out this year in the NCAA Tourney.

Probably Dancing:

Mississippi: 17-6 (5-4 SEC)

RPI: 39

Strength of Schedule: 52

Key wins: at Kansas State

Bad losses: None

Big games remaining: at Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Florida

The Rebels are in good position to make the tournament, but they may need to find another signature win somewhere. They don’t have any terrible losses, with four of their six losses coming to teams ranked in the top 15, and the early season win over Kansas State continues to look better. However, the Rebels need a strong finish to avoid being on bubble watch. If they’re able to get to 10 conference wins, and make a good showing in the SEC Tournament, they’ll likely find themselves in the 8-9 seed range. Knocking off Vanderbilt would be a huge boost for their resume.

On the Bubble:

Florida: 17-7 (6-4 SEC)

RPI: 50

Strength of Schedule: 70

Key wins: Michigan State, Florida State

Bad losses: South Alabama

Big games remaining: at Mississippi, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, at Kentucky

The Gators have been rolling lately, having won six of their last seven heading into a showdown with South Carolina on Wednesday. They don’t always win pretty, and have relied on some late-game heroics more than once, but regardless, they’re still sitting in a good position heading into March. They have two great non-conference wins, and even the loss to Richmond doesn’t look as awful as it did at the time. However, they’re still searching for a big SEC win to add to their resume. If they’re able to hold home court against Tennessee and Vanderbilt, as well as knock off Auburn and Georgia, 10 conference wins should get them into the tournament. They’re certainly not a sure thing, but they’re on the right track.

Mississippi State: 16-7 (4-4 SEC)

RPI: 71

Strength of Schedule: 126

Key wins: Mississippi

Bad losses: Rider, Western Kentucky

Big games remaining: Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee

The Bulldogs have plenty of work to do if they want to dance into March. The good news for them is that they’ll have plenty of chances, starting with a showdown against Ole Miss on Thursday. The Bulldogs also have homes dates with Kentucky and Tennessee, and they’ll probably need both to make their resume more tournament-worthy. Rick Stansbury’s club has some nice pieces, but they haven’t seemed to find a rhythm in conference play, having lost four of their last five. It’s not too late to make a run, but for a team that entered the season with expectations of a deep run through March, they’ve been largely disappointing so far.

On the Outside But Have a Chance:

South Carolina: 14-9 (5-4 SEC)

In all likelihood, the Gamecocks will need to win the SEC Tournament to earn a bid, but don’t count them out. Devan Downey is making a run at SEC Player of the Year, and he’s shown the ability to carry the team through long stretches. Another win over Kentucky certainly wouldn’t hurt, but overall, they still probably need to win out to even think about the bubble.

Arkansas: 13-11 (6-3 SEC)

Like South Carolina, the Hogs probably have too much work left to do to count on an at-large bid, and will need to run the SEC Tournament to get in. However, with Courtney Fortson back, the Hogs are a dangerous team, and they’re playing their best ball of the season right now. They may not win it, but look for the Hogs to at least put a scare into someone during the SEC Tournament.

There’s always next year:

Georgia 10-12 (2-7 SEC)

They may be the best 10-win team in the country, but at the end of the day, they’re still a 10-win team. The Dawgs have some good pieces, but just don’t have enough to compete this year.

Alabama 13-11 (3-7 SEC)

Like Georgia, the Tide can’t be faulted for their effort, but they just don’t simply have enough talent. On the bright side, spring football practice is only a couple months away.

Auburn: 12-12 (3-6 SEC)

The Tigers have attempted close to 600 three-pointers this year. When you’re shooting them at 32 percent, that’s not a recipe for success.

LSU 9-15 (0-10 SEC)

Nothing much to say here. The Tigers just simply aren’t a good team. Help may be on the way next year, but unfortunately, they have to finish this season first.

Devan Downey: CollegeHoops.net Player of the Week

Jeff Borzello — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:16:30 -0800

CollegeHoops.net Player of the Week: Devan Downey, South Carolina

Sometimes, picking a Player of the Week is difficult. In some weeks, one has to go through dozens and dozens of box scores, seeing which players had two good games during the week, which teams did well and were carried by a certain player and then narrow it down to eight or nine players. After that, you have to pick a few of the marquee performers and then eventually choose one. This week, however, was easy. Forget West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler and his 27 points against Louisville; forget Illinois’ Demetri McCamey’s 19 points, eight assists and buzzer shot vs. Indiana; forget Greg Monroe’s 21 points, five rebounds and five assists against Duke; forget Quincy Pondexter of Washington averaging 28.0 points and 11.5 rebounds this week; forget everything.

The clear Player of the Week honor this week has to go to Devan Downey of South Carolina. In case you don’t follow college basketball, or sports in general – and I’m guessing that’s doesn’t cover any of the people reading this, since you’re, well, reading this – Downey had 30 points and single-handedly led the Gamecocks to an upset of No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday. While he did shoot just 9-for-29 from the field against the Wildcats, Downey’s craftiness and scoring ability late in the game enabled South Carolina to get the victory. Downey also grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and banned two steals. That performance would have likely won him this week’s honors anyway, but Downey wasn’t done. The diminutive 5-9 waterbug of a guard dropped 33 points and hit the game-winning basket with 50 seconds left to give South Carolina a one-point victory over Georgia.

In the two games this week, Downey averaged 31.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals – and only 1.5 turnovers per game. Overall this season, Downey is now averaging 22.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game. While his shooting percentages are not overly attractive, it is Downey’s clutch scoring ability and innate knack for getting into the lane that makes him so difficult to contain. If he continues to play like this – and leads South Carolina to some more big victories – Downey and the Gamecocks could be in the thick of things come Selection Sunday.

Previous CHN Player of the Week:

Jan 26: Jerome Dyson - UCONN

Jan 19: Scottie Reynolds - Villanova

Jan 12: Scotty Hopson - Tennessee

Jan 5: Ashton Gibbs - Pittsburgh

Dec 29: Mike Gerrity / Devin Ebanks

Dec 22: Dexter Pittman - Texas

Dec 14: Jacob Pullen - Kansas St

Dec 7: Trevon Hughes - Wisconsin

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Gamecocks Knock Off Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:51:32 -0800

After Kentucky whipped Arkansas to ensure their move up to number one in the polls few people paid much attention to South Carolina in regards to their chances of upsetting the Wildcats. But thanks to the ability of senior guard Devan Downey to take over a game the Gamecocks stunned Kentucky 68-62 in Columbia. Head coach Darrin Horn has now won his last three meetings over Kentucky, who will most likely drop from the top spot come Monday. Downey led all scorers with 30 points, getting to the foul line (10-11 FT) to make up for a 9-for-29 night from the field.

Why was he so successful despite the low field goal percentage? He drove the basketball with reckless abandon as Kentucky had no one to corral him. Add to this Brandis Raley-Ross scoring seventeen points (the most he's scored in an SEC game) and a young group of Wildcats who didn't play with total focus and you had the makings of an upset in front of a frenzied crowd. Despite having more depth and size Kentucky was a minus-6 (41-35) in rebounding margin, and with John Wall making just six of sixteen shots the Wildcats needed someone outside of he and DeMarcus Cousins (27 points) to step up.

That help didn't come, with Patrick Patterson attempting just four shots and combining with Eric Bledsoe to score nine points. Be it that stat or their issues on the boards the Wildcats were simply outworked by the Gamecocks and head coach John Calipari said as much after the game. "We're supposed to be one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country," said Calipari. "They came in minus-4 on the year and got 20 offensive rebounds. What it meant was S.C. was working harder than we were working."

While this is a big night for the Gamecocks it also provided Kentucky's youngsters a lesson they can use in March: if you don't bring your best effort every night you're getting yourself into trouble. As the saying goes: "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work".

Three Key Happenings

1. Rhode Island picks up a crucial road victory at Dayton. This one was a matchup of two teams in need of a solid victory with the loser falling further behind Temple and Xavier in the Atlantic 10 standings. The risk there, especially for a URI squad that's slipped in conference play after solid non-conference campaigns the last two years to miss the NCAA Tournament, is that falling too far back takes you off of the selection committee's radar. But thanks to a Marquis Jones three pointer with five seconds remaining the Rams left Dayton with a 65-64 win and an important split of their two games in Ohio (losing at Xavier on Saturday).

It was the second buzzer-beater for Jones against the Flyers in his career (doing the same in last year's 93-91 win) but this one also ended Dayton's 30-game home winning streak. The difference for Rhody was the three-point shot, where they outscored Dayton 30-9 for the game while also finishing a plus-3 in rebounding margin. Now 16-3 (4-2 Atlantic 10) the Rams have three of their next four games at home before visiting Temple on February 13th. It's imperative that they take care of business in the next four since the Temple game represents their best shot at another resume-building victory before the conference tournament. Win that one and they'll most like punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

2. Kansas State bounces back from Saturday's loss with a key road victory. The key to the Wildcats' 76-74 win at Baylor on Tuesday night: Jacob Pullen snapping out of his shooting slump. Having hit just 25% of his shots over the last five games, Pullen made seven of eleven shots (6-7 from behind the arc) on the way to a game-high 25 points. Denis Clemente added seventeen and Rodney McGruder ten off the bench as the Wildcats ended the Bears' eleven-game win streak. And just like Rhode Island, K-State's advantage behind the arc played a role in the outcome. Kansas State was a +24 in points from distance as the Bears made just three of fourteen shots on the night.

But Baylor was able to stay in the game because of their ability to get to the foul line, making twenty-three of thirty-one foul shots while K-State was just 9-for-16. This should give the Wildcats a bit of caution as the progress towards an NCAA Tournament berth. Their three-point shooting made up for the poor percentage from the charity stripe but what about on a day when the perimeter shots aren't falling? Well, if they can rebound (36-32 edge) and receive contributions from a number of sources (the seldom-used Jordan Henriquez-Roberts blocked three shots and grabbed five rebounds) Kansas State can give teams fits.

3. UAB takes out Tulsa to remain undefeated in Conference USA. In a matchup of conference unbeatens in Birmingham the Blazers used the foul line to hang onto the 65-55 win. UAB made thirteen straight foul shots at one point, making up for a twelve-minute stretch without a field goal. Elijah Millsap led UAB with 19 points and 12 rebounds as they took sole possession of first place in C-USA. During that cold spell the Golden Hurricane ripped off a 19-2 run that erased a 16-point halftime lead but Millsap's three-point play gave the Blazers the lead for the remainder of the game.

Tulsa was able to get back into the game by taking better care of the basketball, with fourteen of their seventeen turnovers coming in the first half. But for the game they shot just 38.3% from the field and 30% from behind the arc, numbers that caught up to them in the end despite the comeback. For UAB this is a crucial win from a scheduling standpoint, with three of the next four games (UTEP, at Memphis and Marshall) coming against teams likely to contend for the regular season crown. With five teams having either no or one loss in Conference USA play there's a clear line between contenders and pretenders so any win against the other four becomes that much bigger.

Top Three Games

1. Rhode Island 65, Dayton 64

2. Kansas State 76, Baylor 74

3. South Carolina 68, Kentucky 62

Three Notable Performances

1. F Aaron Thompson (Cal-State Fullerton) The senior led the Titans to a 92-84 win over Cal-State Bakersfield with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

2. C DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky) Cousins scored 27 points while also grabbing 12 rebounds in the Wildcats' 68-62 loss at South Carolina.

3. G Devan Downey (South Carolina) He didn't shoot well from the field, making just nine of twenty-nine shots from the field. But he was a handful, leading to 10-for-11 from the foul line to score thirty points in the Gamecocks' 68-62 win over top-ranked Kentucky.